Suction cleaner



v May 28, 1935. B. C. BECKER 2,002,624

sUcTIoN CLEANER Filed Feb. e, 1931 2 sheets-Sheet 1 v May 28, 1935. B.c. BECKER 2,002,624

' `sUcTIoN GLEANER Filed Feb. 6, 1931 2 sheets-sheet 2 han@ 1935.1"

ulvrrlizl)V -sTATEs' PA-TENT] OFFICE v I 5 f Yaooau. I

sUc'rloN cmANna' Bernard c. Becker, York, rs., mor te The xHoove'rCompany, North Canton, Ohio, a co1'- Vporation of Ohio A' ApplicationFebruary 6, 1931, Serial No. 514,009 scwms. The present inventionrelates to euction cleaners ingeneral and in particular to a new andimproved permanently incorporated converter construction which functionsto change the .5 suctioncleaner from a unit adapted for on the floorcleaning to a unit adapted to produ suction for use in dusting tools inoff the cleaning.

It is an object of the present invention provide a and improved suctioncleaner construction. I/t is a further object to provide,l in a suctioncleaner, a permanently incorporated converter mechanism which ismanually operable and which functions 'to convert the cleaner from aunit adapted for on the floor cleaning unit adapted for "oif the floorcleaning.

to a stm f another object is the'provision, in a suction cleaner, of anew and improved converter valve construction. A still further object isthe provision, in a suction cleaner of the motor driven agitator type,of an improved permanently incorporated `converter valve constructionwhich is manually operable by the user. Other and more specific objectswill appear upon reading the following specication and claims,consideringl in connection therewith the attached drawings.

In the drawings in which a preferred embodiment `of the presentinvention is disclosed:

Fig. 1 is a side view rof a suctioncleaner emr? bodyi'ng tlie presentinvention with certain'parts broken' away,

Fig. 2 is a' bottom view of the cleaner `shown in ligr 1 with .thebottom of the gear housing broken away,

mg; a is erection upon the une o: Fig. f1, Fig. 4 is a top view of th'econverter, comprising the valve and its casing, removed fromthe cleanerwith the valve in the open position,

Fig. 5isasectionupontheline5--5ofliig-.1

showing the valve in the closed position,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the gearsupon the line l--G of Fig. l.

taxen which is positioned a driving motor, which' is not shown, butr theshaft of which extenda down thru the fan chamber I, where it carries thesuc.

tion-creatmg fanl 1,- thru the inlet or eye 8 of thel fan chamber intothe chamber forme f by the valve or converter casing Il, which forms-(el. 15-9) V end of the air passageway II extending between the frontand rear lips I2 and I3 of nozzle 2 and the fan chamber, where itcarries the driving pulley 9. A rotary agitator I4 is mounted within thenozzle 2 which comprises the rigidly carried 5 beating elements I5 and abrush element I6, of which there may be morethan one, whichl are adaptedto' contact the surface covering between the lips I2 and I3 of thenozzle. A driving belt y I1 is provided which extends in the airpassage- 10 way II from agitator I4 to the shaft 6 where it isoperatively connected to the pulley ,9 mounted at the' lower end of thatshaft. 'I'hesuction cleaner is movablycarried upon the supportingsurface by means of front supporting wheels I8, 15 I9 and rearsupporting wheels 20, 2B, the latter being provided withheight-adjusting means 2| by which they may be adjusted relative to thecleaner for the purpose of raising or lowering the nozzle mouth, asdened by the lips I 2 and I3, gg relative to the surface covering as isoften required when the cleaner is changed from one type of rug orcarpet to another.` vA handle 22 is pivotally attached to the cleaner,and to the casing I in particular, by which the machine may be 25propelled by the operator. I In the usual suction cleaner-of the motordriven type, exemplied by the general outlines of the cleaner shown inthe drawings, the air passagewayI I leading from the nozzle 2 to the fanchamso ber 3 is completed, at its rear end adjacent thel inlet ror eye 8of the fan chamber, byfa simple shell-like member-or housing whichconforms at its forward end to the rear end of the passage- '.way II, asdened. by the permanently carried 35 l walls of the casing I4 and thebottom plate 23. In the useof the machine upon the surface covering thishousing serves merely to direct the dirtladen air from the nozzle 2tothe. fan chamberl 3 `thruthe inlet 8 thereof, it being suitably shaped4g to perform thatfunction and being open at its upperface. If theoperator desired to convert the machine to asuction-creating unit foruse with dusting tools itl was necessary to remove thi detachablehousing member and to position in t s place a converter member which wasprovided with an opening or conduit to which the dusting tools could beattachedand which directed/the entire draft of the suction-creating faninto that conduit, sealing lthe nozzle 2 there` 50 v from. 'It would.usually be necessary to remove the driving belt'll'in the positioning ofthis converter member as. it, in the ordinary embodiments, wouldclos'ely conform 'to the periphery of the imet 8 of the fan chamber. Acertain amount vert the machine, with the aforementioned type ofconstruction, thru thenecessity o1' tilting the machine. on its side,removing one member, de.

taching the belt, and the installation of a second member. In a suctioncleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention it isunnecessary to remove any of the parts embodied in the cleaner in itstransformation from one type of cleaning unit to another, nor is itnecessary to remove the driving belt from the driving pulley, It is onlynecessaryv to attach orde- -tach the tubular hose of the dusting tooltoor from the conduit which is carried by the converter casing, the flowof into the tool and the sealing of the fan chamber from the nozzlebeing accomplished by the permanently incorporated converter or valvemeans which will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the cleaner constructed in-accordance with the present invention, theconverter or valve cas- -ing I conforms, at its forward end to that partof the air passageway Il formed by the main casing I and the bottomplate 23 forward of the inlet 8. The main body portion of casing orhousing I0 is'semi-spherical and there is provided a rearwardly directedconduit 24 which opens thereinto. Within the casing I0 and closelyconforming to the contour of its walls are two valve members 25 and 26which are shaped as sectors from the surface of a sphere and which areadapted to make li'ne contact, at lboth their forlward and theirrearward edges, being rotatable about a, vertical axis. In theirconduit-sealing position the valve members are positioned as shown infull lines in Figures 1, 3 and 4, it being clear that they overlie theinlet of the conduit into the casing completely sealing the conduit fromthe inlet 8 of the fan chamber but permitting unhindered access to theair entering from the nozzle 2 by way of air lpa-ssageway II.

With the valve members 25 and 26 rotated until they contact upon theirforward edges, the air passageway |I, forward of the inlet 8 of the fanchamber, is completely sealed therefrom, as is clearly shown in Figure5, and the conduit 24 -is directly connected thru the casing I0 to saidfan chamber. To permit the valve segments to make line contact when intheir forward or nozzlesealing position cut-away portions or. recesses21 and 26 are provided withinwhich the sides of the driving belt arepositioned in a manner which in no way interferes with the transmissionof power to the agitator from the pulley.

The operation of the valve, comprising `the members 25 and 26, by theoperator is made possible by the provision of a suitablehandle 29 whichis extended, -fromits inner end directly below the valve casing I0,outbeside the fan chamber 3 where it can be easily grasped by theoperator and moved between its two positions. The handle 29 extends, atits inner end, within the gear casing 30 where it is rigidly connectedto a centrally located vertical pin 3| which is rigidly connectedat itsopposite,.or upper end, to the valve segment 26. The movement of thehandle 29, therefore, results in its rotation about the pin 3| as anaxis and in the .accompanying rc tation of valve member 26 inside thecasing- To accomplish the rotation of valve .member 25 in a directionopposite to that of valve member 26 a. segmental gear 32 is provided onthe end of handle 29 which meshes with another segmental gcari carriedupon a spaced pin 34 and which 2,092,624 i of objectionable work wouldbe required to conmental gear 35, also mounted upon acting segmentalgear 36 mounted upon a third pin 31, with the segmental gear 38 whichrotates about pin 3| in a direction opposite to that of the gear 32 onthe handle 28. This last gear 38, is rigidly carried by or formed on asleeve 39 which encloses and supports the pin 3| and which is itselfrotatably supported by the bottom of casing I0 and is rigidly attachedto, o r formed integrally with, the valve member 25.

'I o transform a suction cleaner constructed in accordance with thepresent invention, from a unit adapted for on the oor cleaning, in whichthe suction is directed to the main nozzle of the cleaner, toa unitadapted for off the floo cleaning, in which the draft of thesuction-creating means is directed to a second passageway or cenduit forthe purpose of making possible cleaning at a distance from the cleanerproper, it is only necessary for the operator to move the valveoperatinghandle 29 from the position indicated pin 33, a coon theV underside ofthe cleaner by the word directions of the valve members 25 and 26 withinthe valve casing I Il thru the mechanism aforedescibed. The valve ismoved from its original position, that shown in Figure t in which itsealed conduit 24 from the fan chamber, to a new position as shown inFigure 5. In this latter position the air passageway leading from themain .nozzle 2 is entirely sealed, thereby sealing the nozzle from thefan chamber and preventing the passage of air therebetween. .l Theconduit 24, however, is directly opened thru the casing I0 to the fanchamber 3 in this new'position and the oper'ator need only secure thecleaner end of the dusting tool, which will beV preferably of thetubular exible type, to the conduit 244 by the suitable securing means24a, and the suction created by the cleaner can be used at the nozzleend of the dusting tool for the removal of foreign matter from curtains,drapes and other articles for which the suction cleaner proper is notadapted. f, I Q According to the present invention the agitator I4continues to revolve though the suction is no longer directed toward thenozzle. 2. This continued rotation of the agitator performs no harmfuleffect and places but a sllghtload upon the driving motor as theagitator does not contact the surface'covering, there being no suctionat the nozzle 2 to lift said covering against the lips I2 and I3thereof, land the only loss is the friction loss in the bearings and inthe transmission means. To recouvert the cleaner to a unit adapted foron theoor cleaning the operator need only return the handle 29 toitsoriginal position and disconnect the dusting tool from the conduit .24.

- I claim:

l. In a suction cleaner, a bodyjnclding a nozzle, a fan chamber and anair passageway therebetween, said passageway being formed as a valvechamber at one point, a conduit open to said air passageway at saidvalve chamber, an agitator in said nozzle, power-transmitting means insaid passageway extending from the junction of said passageway and saidfan chamber to said agitator, a valve comprising a plurality of elementsrotatable about a common axis at an angle to said power-transmittingmeans atfthe junction ed from said fan chamber into said air passageway,a power-transmitting belt connected to said shaft and to said agitatorand positioned in said air passageway, a rotatable valve positioned insaid air passageway, said valve comprising a plurality of cooperatinglsections independently mounted on a common axis, said valve sectionsbeing provided with Vrecesses and means-to rotate said valve sections inopposite directions of angular advance to selectively seal ,said nozzleor said conduit from said fan chamber, said powertransmitting beltseating inthe recesses in said valve sections with the valve in thenozzle-sealing position.

3. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle, a fan chamber, anair passageway therebetween, and an air conduit open to said passageway,adrive shaft extended from said fan chamber into said passageway, apower-transmitting `belt connected to said shaft and extending atsubstantially` right angles thereto into said passageway, arotatablevalve positioned in said passageway and extended in the direction ofsaid shaft in spaced relation thereto at its point of belt contact,saidvalve being formed ,of a plurality of sections movable towardandfrom said belt from the opposite sides thereof and adapted to makesealing contact at said belt, saidK valve sealing said passageway whenpositioned at said belt and sealing said conduit in a second position,and manually operable means to actuate said valve. 4

4. In a suction cleaner, a body including anozzlea fan chamber, an airpassageway therebetween, and an air conduit open to said passageway', adrive shaft extended from said fan chamber into said passageway, apower-transmitting belt connected to said shaft and extending atsubstantially right angles thereto into said passageway, a valverotatable about an axis extended in the same direction as said shaft`and shaped to extend longitudinally along said shaft past the point ofbelt contact therewith, said valve formed of cooperating sectionsmovable in opposite directions of rotation and adapted to approach saidbelt fromopposite sides thereof' to close said air passageway, andmanually 'operable means to move said valve sections, said valve closingsaid conduit in one position.

5. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle, a fan,chamber, anair passageway connecting said nozzle to said chamber,` a valve chamberat the junction of said passageway and chamber, an air conduit open tosaid fan chamber through said valve chamber, a drives shaft extendedfrom said fan chamber into said valve chamber, a powertransmitting beltextended from said 'shaft into said passageway, a-valve rotatable'aboutv`an axis extended in the same direction as said shaft oom-A prisingsectors movable in sealed relationship with the walls of its chamber topassageway-closing or to conduit-closing position, said sectors movingto passageway-sealing position from opposite sides of said belt, therebeing manually-operable means to move said valve carried by said body.

6. An accessory for a suction cleaner of the type including a nozzle, afan chamber, an air passageway from said lnozzle to said fan chamberending short thereof, va drive shaft extended from said fan chamberthrough the eye thereof, a belt connected tosaid shaft and -extendedthrough said .passageway to said nozzle and into operative .re-

lationship with-an agitator therein; comprising a removable housingmember connecting said passageway to said fan chamber and formed with aconduit opening interiorly thereto, a rotatable valvepositioned in andmounted on said housing and rotatable about said shaft as an axis, saided to and adapted .to rotate said'valve.

'7. An accessory for asuction cleaner of the type including a nozzle, afan chamber, an air passage- 'way from said nozzle to said fan chamberending short thereof, a drive shaft extended from said fan chamberthrough thev eye thereof, a' belt connected ,to' saidv shaft andextended through said passagewayfto said-nozzle and into operative revlationshipvvithan agitator therein; comprising a housing memberconnectingA said passageway to the eyeof saidfan chamber and formed witha -conduit opening interiorly thereto, said housing enclosing thejunction of said shaft and said belt,

second passageway open to said first-mentioned passageway and so to saidsuction-creating means at the point of connection of said shaft andsaid` power-transmitting means, a valve element rotatable about an ,axissubstantially' coincident kwith the axis of said drive shaft, saidelement adapted tov close said second passageway and movable toward saidpower-transmitting means to partially close said first-mentionedpassageway, and cooperating meansto assist said el'ement in closing saidfirst-mentioned passageway positioned upon the opposite side of saidpower-transmitting means from said element.

` l BERNARD C. BECKER.

